Apparatus for evaporating liquids



P. MULLER.

APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATING LIQUIDS. APPLICTION FILED DECJ. 1914.

1 4 06997 Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

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ZJ 4 4 (Me 12@ .ZH V V 'UNITED STATES u PATENT i OFFICE.

PEILIPI' M'LLER, OF LEIPZIG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS; TO THE CHEMICAL FOUNDATION, ING., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

Specification of Letters Patent Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

Original application filed August 26, 1913, Serial' No. 786,?73. Divide& and this application filed Decembcr 7, 1914. Serial No. 876,001.

To all whom it may gomar-n:

Be it known that I, PHILIPP MLLER,

Apparatus for Evaporating Liquids, of which the following is a specification. u

The invention relates to improvementsdn apparatus for drying liquids containing solids, damp substances, and the like, and has for its object to enable the drying of the solids of such substances to be effected economically, easily, and rapidly without the employment of high temperatures. This application is a division of my application rfiled August 26, 1913, Serial Number 786,'773, now Patent No. '1364,&03 of J an. 4:, 1921.

In carrying out my invention I project the liquid to be treated, milk for example, continuously into a chamber or passage in a finely sprayed condition in such manner that the stream of finely-divided material forms fiat layer of mist between two layers of a suitable drying agent (for instance air) moved continuously through the chamber closely above and below parallel to and;

in 'the same direction as the `said layer of finely-divided material so that the individual fine particles of the substance to be dried remain during the whole path in which they are projected in free suspension surrounded by the drying agent and the solids of these particles are rapidly dried at ordinary temperature.

In the accompanying drawings are illustrated several typical forms of apparatus for carrying out the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a central longitudinal secton of the preferred form of apparatus;

Figures 2 to 6 are detail views from parts of the' apparatus; i

Figure 7 is a central longitudinal section of a modified form of the apparatus and Figure 8 is a central longtudinal section of another modified form of the apparatus.

In these drawings corresponding arts of apparatus are marked with the same reference numerals.

Referring to the drawings 1 is a drying 'chamber closed on all sides; 2 is a receptacle' for the liqud which is to be. dried in the medium,

chamber 1; 3 is'a wall down which the lqud s allowed to trickle, said wall, which is preferably 'arranged in a, known manner as an attemperator, communicating at the top with the receptacle 2 or other-feed de- `vice which contains the supply of liquid.

The wall 3 is preferably corrugated on the surface, but may also be smooth. and arranged to slope. at any desired angle, or mayeven be vertical; On this wall 3 is provided a pipe 4 having a series of fine perforations 5 or a slit. Fig. 2 illustrates the perforated modification The pipe & may also be mounted separately behind the Wall, in which case its openings cor'espond with openings in the wall 3. Opposite the openings is a slit 6 arranged in the upper part of the drying chamber l. 'Z represents feed pi es for the drying agent (air or the like), t ese feed pipes being arranged parallel t the slit 6 of the drying chamber l near the wall within the chamber closely above and below the slit 6 and these 'feed pipes are provided' with nozzles which may converge toward the atomized current ing from the wall 3. 8 is a belt conveyor, carried over rollers 9, for removing the dred particles of the liquid from the drying chamber l. 10 is a scraper for removing the dried particles of liquid from the belt conveyor 8, and ll is a receptacle for collecting the dried particles of liquid removed by the scraper 10. 12 are exhaust fiues for withdrawing the drying agents laden with mosture.

The apparatus operates as followsz- The liquid to be dried, supplied in re ulated quantity from the vessel 2; to the wzill, is disoharged by means of a suitable atomi'zing compressed air for example, through the slit 6 into the drying chamber l in a very nely-divded state. and in that condition is encountered by the dryin agent, entering from the Parallel rows o of liquid issu-` pipes 7 above and below the slit 6 of the" liqid ensue immediately, said constituents su siding on to the belt conveyor 8 and be,- ing removed from the ,drying chamber 1,

wl'ilst the drying agent laden With the\ moism, &Me

l 4! I i 'Elio ieed pipe ror the :nr or other pres-.

sure-medium msy &iso he of the form shown in section in Figura 3, in which e plote 13 is soldered lirmly behind one of the corrugations of the well and the feed pipo receives the prcssnre-necliim from a, receptacle not shown hy a feed pipo 14:.

H it be desirccl to keep the liquicl to be iried ou of contact with the surface of the Mesure-medium pipe e while trickling down the wall 3, the well may preferebly be detsched froni the pipo ai and the liqnid io he clricol is led by means of a, guideplste 15,. Figura directly on to the issuing pressure-medium. The space between the guideplaie 15 and the pressure--meciiun pipo i may he reduced or incressed in order to secure she most efiioient area., Also, ss shown in Figuro 5, the liouicl to he clried can. be allowed to drop freely on to the current of pressure-niedinm i igein ss shown in Figurc 6, the wall 3' may nlsoconsisz of wo shee; metal Welle arrangecl arallel and close together. These wells nosy also he corrugel, :mol prcfersbly form a closed pipe 16 or chest si: 'their lower end. ln this case the pipo 16 ir provided, the side fooing the dry *ing chamhcr 1 with zi series of perfol-&tiene 17' opposiie to which corresponding number of noszles, leading from 'the common pressure-medinm vessel debouch into the pipo 18. The surplus iiquid and pressure-medium may he led from "the pipe 16 through the two letersi end-.s lhereof.

in this modification of the wcl, &the liqnid is supplied to the stomizing point 'by oeii g allowed to fiow down between the two Welle (which nmy be arranged externzlly to serve ss hcsters or coolers), ancl'by being encouniered in ihe pipo 16 by the pressuremedinm and projected through "che perferstions 17' and slit (i ino the drying chsmher L The liquicl which is to be stomizcd may be ireated heforehand in any desirod way; for instance, i muy he sterilized, or enriched with any desired snbstances. Moreover, the resssure-medium current which effects the otomizalion, may effect the cooling or warmng of the liquicl to be conveyed or atomzed. The air current itself, which as already mentioned may he replaced by another pres sure-medium, may he oooled, warmed pur lied, driecl, noisienccl or saturstecl with any dcsired suhstances for the porpose'of *producing special effects. Thiis, the sterilizing of mili( muy he eii'eotcd by ultro-Viole rays. For 'this purpose a source of light 18, Fignre 3, emittin: ultm-violc rys, may he mounted for example in front` of the wall and above the clelivery openings the `rsiys scting noi', merely on the finel'y comized and aerated mocem liquid but also on the liquid which is Still trickling down the Wall, so that a thoroughly ger-:nime product is obtained.

An interchange of difi'erent liquids under treat-:nent may be efl'ected by placing the well, down which the liquid flows, in communcationwith difi'erent feed and storage Vessels, and allowing the one or the other liquid to flow down the Wall` as desired.

In the modified Construction of drying apparatus shown in Fi re 7, 19 is a pipo, prefercbly controlled y 21, tap, leading the liquid, which is to be dried, from the recep tacle 2, containing the supply of liquid to the dryng chamber 1. 20 represents a row of nozzles within the drying chamber 1 to which the liquid to be dried is supplied through pipo 19. 21 is a pipe connecting the row of nozzles 20 with the receptacle 22 for the ctomizing medium, compressed air for example. 7 are the feed-pipes for ethe dryng agent (air or the like) arranged closely above and below the row of nozzles 20 within the drying chamber l.

The mode of operation of this modified construction of apparatus is as follows:-

The liquid to be dried is' discharged through the row of nozzles 20 directly into the drying chamloer 1 inform of e very nely-clivided layer of mist and in that condition is, along `the whole path in which it is projcctcd, encountcred by the two lsyers of drying &gent resulting from the nozzies of the feed-pipes 7 arrsnged closely above and below the row of nozzles 20.

Hence, also in this modification of appemn& during thewhole of the drying opero- 'ion the individual fine particles of the liquid io be driod. remain in free suspension, surrouncled by the drying &gent to which they per& with their moisture easily and rapidly so thai; the drying operationmay quickly be scoomplished and this nt un unusually low temperature. in the further modificationof drying apparetus-shown in Fignre 8, the device for atomizing the liquiclto be clried is arranged in the centre of thischamber. This. device consists ofan atomizing plote 23 which is drivenilirough the medium of :i shnft 24 by means; for instance, of a direct-coupled turbine 25. l

The operation o' this modification of ap paratus is as follows:

The liquid to 'oe dried is introduccd into the atomizing lato 23 from the vessel 2 through the pipo 4:' under the control of a tap, and by the rapid rotation of the plate (about 12000 revolutions per minute) is dispersed through the clamber 1 as a' fine mist Tlie drying agent is prcferably blown rsdially against the plane of the atomized liquid, 'from the drying-genb feed pipes 7' Situated closely above and` beneath said pime. The conveyer 8' arranged. undermath the utomizing plate, consists of a-coL lectingplate driven by the turbine 25, from which plate the d-ied particles are conducted by a scraper into the receptacle ll outside the drying chamber 1.

What claim as my invention end desire to secure by LettersPatent, is z- 1. An apparetus for treating liquids which comprises a drying clamber provided With a :feed opening, a feed wall located outside of said clember and means for propelling the substauce, in finely divided condi tion, from said Wall into said clamber.

2. An apparatus fordrying liquids which comprises a drying chamber provided with e feed opening, a* feed wall located outside of said clia mber, means for propellng the sure substance to be dried n finely divided condition from said wall into said chamber, and means for bringing zt drying medium info contact with said substanca.

3. An apparatus for treating liquids, comprising a di-yin'g chamben a feed wall, a presnedium ppe and a guide plate located between said wall and said pipe, Whereby tle'substuce to be treated is fed to a stream of pressure medium.

In testimoy Whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PHILIPP MULLER. witnesses: 4

RUDOLPH F IECKE, OSCAR FREINIG. 

